Rep. Yadira Caraveo

Maddy summaryThe STORE Act of 2023 amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act to improve how infrastructure grants are distributed to food banks and pantries. It increases annual funding from $15 million to $25 million (2024-2028), prioritizes support for Tribal, low-income, and remote communities, and allows grants to cover mobile delivery services, home delivery, and refrigeration equipment. The bill also requires a report assessing national cold storage and refrigerated truck shortages for emergency food organizations. This directly affects food banks serving underserved areas by expanding their access to funding for critical refrigeration and distribution infrastructure.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new Office within the Department of Justice to address racial disparities in missing and murdered Black women and girls cases. The Office will collect data on case resolution times, coordinate with law enforcement, and create a public dashboard tracking these cases. It also creates grants for community organizations to provide culturally appropriate services, prevention programs, and training for law enforcement targeting violence against Black women and girls. The bill directly affects Black women and girls who are victims of violence and their communities, focusing on improving data collection and support systems rather than changing criminal laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new program to incentivize SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients to purchase "naturally nutrient-rich dairy" like fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese at checkout. It allocates $10 million annually to fund competitive grants for state/local governments and nonprofits to implement projects that provide point-of-sale incentives for qualifying dairy products. Projects must use electronic systems to apply incentives only toward eligible dairy purchases and undergo independent evaluations using rigorous methods to measure impact on consumption. The program replaces an existing dairy incentive initiative under the 2018 farm bill, with a transition period ensuring no disruption to current projects.

Maddy summaryThe Better CARE for Animals Act of 2023 amends the Animal Welfare Act to strengthen enforcement of animal welfare standards. It gives the Attorney General authority to bring civil cases for violations, including seeking penalties up to $10,000 per day per violation and injunctions to remove or relocate animals. The bill also requires the Secretary of Agriculture and Attorney General to coordinate through a new Memorandum of Understanding, focusing on repeat violators. These changes directly affect dealers, exhibitors, and enforcement agencies by expanding civil enforcement tools and clarifying jurisdiction over rule violations.

Maddy summaryThe Healthy Soils Healthy Climate Act of 2023 (HR 5043) creates federal incentive payments for farmers to adopt soil health practices - such as cover cropping, crop rotation, and improved soil management - that increase soil organic carbon levels. It prioritizes payments for small producers, rural farmers, and socially disadvantaged farmers, requiring the Department of Agriculture to establish region-specific protocols for measuring soil health improvements and carbon sequestration. The bill allocates $100 million annually for these payments and mandates biennial studies to evaluate the impact of these practices on soil carbon, crop resilience, and data collection challenges across different regions. Additionally, it funds research at land-grant universities to study soil health science, including how practices affect crop yields and carbon storage permanence.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends existing programs that provide payments to counties and states with federal land, primarily to support local schools and communities. It updates key deadlines, extending secure payments through 2026, special project authorities through 2029, and county fund expenditure authority through 2028. A new pilot program allows regional foresters to appoint resource advisory committee members directly, with this authority ending October 1, 2028. These changes directly affect rural counties and states managing federal lands, maintaining current funding mechanisms without altering eligibility or payment amounts.

Maddy summaryHR 4845, the Food Secure Strikers Act of 2023, amends the Food and Nutrition Act to remove a restriction that previously disqualified workers from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if they were on strike. The bill changes eligibility rules so that striking workers are no longer automatically ineligible for SNAP benefits solely because they are participating in a labor strike. This change directly affects workers involved in strikes who rely on SNAP for food assistance, ensuring they can access benefits during labor disputes. The key provision removes specific language from Section 6(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act that had barred strike participants from SNAP enrollment.

Maddy summaryThe John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2023 would strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by updating the criteria for which states and localities must obtain federal preclearance before changing voting practices. It would establish new standards for proving vote dilution and vote denial by requiring courts to consider historical discrimination, racial polarization in voting, and whether voting practices disproportionately burden minority voters. The bill would also require states and localities to provide public notice of voting changes and share demographic data about polling locations. These changes would primarily affect jurisdictions with a history of voting rights violations, aiming to prevent discriminatory voting practices before they take effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill improves access to donor human milk for high-risk infants by supporting nonprofit milk banks. It amends the Child Nutrition Act to allow states to use funds for collecting, storing, and transferring unprocessed human milk to registered nonprofit milk banks, and creates $3 million in emergency grants for milk banks facing high demand or supply shortages. The bill also requires a public awareness campaign distributing educational materials to healthcare providers (like pediatricians) and WIC program participants, focusing on the safety and benefits of donor milk. These changes directly affect nonprofit milk banks, healthcare providers, and families of high-risk infants needing this resource.

Maddy summaryHR 5387, the DIRECT Care for the Homeless Act of 2023, establishes a pilot program to provide medical services directly to unsheltered homeless individuals in eligible cities and counties (those with 150+ homeless people per 100,000 residents). The bill creates a reimbursement system for street medicine providers who deliver care in non-permanent locations, requiring documentation in electronic health records while prohibiting the need for permanent addresses. It also expands loan repayment programs for health care professionals working in street medicine and sets new shelter standards requiring menstrual products and security cameras. The program will run through fiscal year 2028, with a GAO report due by 2027 assessing its effectiveness.